Educating Young Children Volume 1 – Spring 2025 | Page 62

classrooms as well as those across our state. We are still connected today as we continue to advocate for programs and practices that are equitable and developmentally appropriate for all kindergarten children. One example of how professional development supported my work occurred when a reading coach stated after observing in my classroom,“ You actually taught reading and literacy‐based content all morning, not in just one block of specified time.” That is the beauty of this approach. Children receive instruction in literacy and math in a relevant, integrated manner all day long, not in isolated blocks of time. The result is happy, eager‐to‐learn kindergartners who are well prepared for the challenges of first grade by the end of the year.

So often the question is posed,“ How do you have time for centers?” Perhaps very soon, the question will be“ How do you not have time for centers?” Children are more than academic beings. They face many challenges in today’ s world. If we are only nurturing the academic part of their cognitive development, how are we preparing them for the many challenges of life they will face in their future? Kindergarten sets the stage for at least 12 more years of formal education. We owe it to children to make time in kindergarten for what is important so that every child is fully educated in every domain of development.

Juliana Harris, a former North Carolina demonstration kindergarten teacher, is principal of Hobgood Charter School in Hobgood, North Carolina.

Photographs: pp. 56, 58, 60 © NAEYC; p. 61 © Getty Images Copyright © 2025 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC. org / resources / permissions.